Education

Image of hand washing in a school environment

From a young age, it is important to learn the importance of hand washing and should be part of every child’s education.

That is why at the Mobile Sink Company, we cater to a range of education sectors, from nurseries and primary schools all the way through to universities/colleges. Our Odyssey 1500 Junior Mobile Sink was built with little ones in mind, standing at 70 cm with a large hand wash basin and having the ability to lower the KW of the unit, reducing the maximum temperature.

Within any environment where there is a large group of people the threat of illnesses or contamination increases and educational environments are a breeding ground for this. Children have a lower immune system than most adults therefore they are more prone to germs, which in turn due to the nature of the school/nursery environment can spread very quickly.

In order reduce the risk it is important for both the adults and children to have an excellent handwashing regime.

Teaching children to wash their hands starts with parents and guardians but needs to be echoed within the educational environment. Poor hand washing is the primary cause of gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses and each year children lose on average 3.7% and teaching staff around 5 days per year due to illness.

In any school environment, hand washing facilities need to be provided within the immediate vicinity of every toilet, for both children and teaching staff. In craft areas, there should also be hand washing facilities available, with warm water, soap and disposable paper towels.

In pre-school environments handwashing facilities need to be available for staff for before and after nappy changing and for children before and after snack time.

It is important to make hand washing fun and inclusive for children and for it not to be seen as a chore. Temperature should not be too hot between 22C – 38C is advisable, therefore our Odyssey Junior portable sink units cannot reach a temperature higher than 38C.

Handwashing should become the norm from a young age, after going to the toilet, before and after eating, after playtime, and craft lessons.

If you are looking to hire or buy a portable hand washing unit for your school or education centre, get in touch with our expert team for a quote on 01183 805302 or email [email protected]

Handwashing techniques:

STEP ONE

Thoroughly wet your hands using warm running water and add liquid soap to your hands

STEP TWO

Rub your hands together palm to palm and make a lather

STEP THREE

Using your palms rub your hands across the back of your hands and along the length of your fingers, and then repeat with your other hand

STEP FOUR

Interlock your fingers with your palms touching and rub thoroughly between all fingers

STEP FIVE

Now rub around your thumbs and then rub the fingertips of each hand across your palms

STEP SIX

Rinse off the soap with clean water, dry your hands with a disposable towel, turn the tap of with the towel and throw the towel away